Chapter 1
“You are telling me the Public relations department couldn’t stop this news from reaching the press” Axel Blackwood glared at his P.A and Secretary “What are they getting paid for then?”
“I would set up a meeting with them after your meeting with the finance department” His secretary Evie suggested
“No, ask them to join the meeting” He ordered her
“Sir I want to discuss something with you” Her eyes turned to his personal assistant Curt
“Go on”
“It’s a bit personal sir” She gestured at Curt to leave
“Can we discuss whatever you want to say later if you can’t say it in Curt’s presence?”
She frowned her face and left the room.
“Is she still trying to get with you?” Curt asked as he sat on the chair
Curt is Axel’s only friend but a professional relationship had to be shown in the presence of other employees.
“She is relentless, but she is good at her job so I can’t exactly fire her”“she is the best secretary I’ve had”
“She is the only secretary that stayed beyond 3 months, maybe you both should get together. She is the only one that can handle your demanding ass, but it’s obvious she is after your money ”
“Won’t be the first of her kind” Axel’s home beeped and he checked it”It looks like the family doctor needs my attention, can you check on that for me? I need to be on my way to the meeting”
“Alright boss, I will see to that”
The atmosphere is tense and Axel walks into the conference room swiftly with Evie right behind him and slams a folder on the table.
“Alright, let’s not waste time. You’ve seen the headlines” he sat down and looked round the room.
Everyone’s face is tense.
“My brother’s little adventure with our funds has cost us two major investors, a month of negative press, and” pauses, glaring “more money than I care to say out loud.”
“Yes, sir. The total loss stands at 4.2 million. Our cash reserves can still cover operations for now, but” someone on the finance team started
“But what? Spit it out.”
“Without new capital, we’ll be in trouble within three months.” he continued
“Three months? That’s generous. If we don’t fix investor confidence, we won’t even last two.” leans forward in silence. “I thought you all would be coming up with solutions” stands up in frustration and bangs the table “What the hell are you all getting paid for?”
“Sssiiurr, wee will.....” The financial analyst, Jonathan stammers
“So here’s what we’re doing. First freeze all non-essential spending. Marketing, travel, expansion everything stops unless it’s keeping the lights on.” Axel cuts him off
“Sir, what about the product launch scheduled next month?” Jonathan asks
“Postpone it. Launching with bad press is like selling ice cream in a hurricane. We rebuild trust first.”
“Understood. Should we reach out to the investors personally?” the head of finance department asks
“Not ‘should.’ We will. Today. I’ll handle the top three myself. The rest of you prepare a clean, transparent financial report every number, every cent accounted for. No sugarcoating.”he pauses “and don’t authorize any spending without it going through my desk first, especially if it’s from anyone in the Blackwood family”
“And the press?” Santos the public relations officer asked
“I’ll speak to them after the numbers are solid. Right now, facts speak louder than promises. We’ve already lost credibility now we prove we deserve it back.” “You need to be on your A game and prevent news like this leaking, that’s your job”
He stands, looking each person in the eye. A few murmurs arose.
“This is not just about saving face. This is about survival. If anyone in this room isn’t ready for a fight, leave now.”
There was silence.
“Good. Meeting adjourned. Get to work.”
Axel snaps his folder shut, ready to leave. The room is silent except for the rustle of papers as the team begins their work.
Axel’s phone rings. The caller ID shows “Curt” He steps away from the table and answers
“Yes? Make it quick, I’m..”
Curt was quiet and hesitant “Axel… I’m afraid it’s your father. His condition has worsened. you need to come now.”
Axel’s voice drops “How bad?” he asked
“Critical. He might not have much time left.”
Axel’s jaw tightens. He glances back at his team, who are still talking in hushed tones, unaware of the call.
“…I’ll be there in twenty minutes.”
He ends the call, staring at the floor for a moment. His face remains unreadable, but his grip on the phone turns white knuckled. He takes a deep breath, collecting himself.
“This can’t be happening right now” he mutters to himself
He turns to the team, voice steady but lower “Handle the plan. I’ll… be out for the rest of the day. No mistakes. Not one.”
Without waiting for questions, he leaves the room, the echo of the door closing heavier than any word spoken before.
Axel strides out of the building, phone in hand, calling his driver. His mind is split between the boardroom crisis and the urgency of his father’s condition.
He could hear Evie’s footsteps as she ran after him in her stilettos
“ I am on my way to the hospital. We’ll go over the investor updates when I get back.
“Sir wait! Please, you can’t get in that car.”
“Evie, not now. I don’t have time for whatever this is.”
“You’ll make time. It’s your life we’re talking about.”
Axel turns, jaw tight) “You’ve got ten seconds.”
“Your brother, he knew about your father’s condition since yesterday. He’s been making calls, setting meetings, moving pieces… and I don’t think you should use your car, it could be tampered with”
“And you know this how?” Axel says dryly
“Because I have an hunch about this things and your assistant yes, Curt was talking to your brother Emmett this morning.They were laughing about how you’d be… ‘out of the way’ soon.”
“You’re not exactly my most trusted source, Sarah.”
Evie steps closer, lowering voice “You don’t like me, I get it. But I’m telling you the truth. If you get in that car, you may not make it to the hospital.”
Axel glares at her, torn between disbelief and a flicker of doubt. His phone buzzes again Curt, calling back.
“Please, sir. Just… let security check the car before you drive off. That’s all I’m asking.” Evie pleaded.
He looks at the car, then at her. He hesitates. The urgency of his father’s condition wars with the possibility she might be right.
“I am done entertaining your theatrics Evie, I trust Curt. When I get back I want you to drop your resignation letter in my office, your services are no longer needed ”
“But sir”
Axel entered his car and slammed the door at her face.
The driver was behind the wheel. In the backseat, Axel was engrossed in his phone, scrolling through the news feed. Suddenly, the car accelerated, and he felt uneasy. The driver’s eyes seemed fixed on the road ahead, but he sensed a growing sense of tension.
“Could Evie be right” he thought to himself
“Is everything alright driver?” He asked
Before the driver could respond, the car’s speed became alarming, and the driver pressed the brake pedal repeatedly. But it was too late. The brakes didn’t respond, and the car started swerving. Axel felt a rush of fear as the world around him slowed down.
The impact was intense, and Axel was thrown forward, his phone flew out of his hands. The sound of crunching metal and shattering glass filled the air. The car turned upside down. As he struggled to regain his bearings, he realized Evie was right.
The pain hit him like a wave, and his head was pounding and his eyes were closing.
This is a deserted area and no one will come to help here, he started to wonder “was Curt ever his friend?” His family wouldn’t care that he was gone, his brother only loves money and his younger sister only cared about herself, All he has worked for would just be in vain.
He turned his head and could see that his driver was dead and gone, he didn’t even know his name. He closed his eyes and was waiting for his own time, he heard a voice and he opened his eyes and could see an angel in Prada suit and pink stilettos walking towards him upside down.
“Sir, open your eyes. We have to leave this place before they come here to confirm their kill”
“Hmmm” Axel couldn’t figure out why he was mumbling.
“Can you move?”
He tried to wiggle out of the car and Evie used all her strength to drag him out, He leaned on her and took him to her car.
“Hosssspi...”
“No, you can’t. It will be easy to hurt you there, I have a family somewhere. I can take you there and you can hide out there for a while and let everything die down and you can work on your strategies”
He tried to sit up.
“Don’t move, I’ll stop by a pharmacy and get things to patch you up”
Axel couldn’t keep his eyes opened. The next thing he felt after a while was a stinging pain on his neck and stomach and a soft voice telling him to be calm.
“I am the only one you can trust” that was the last thing he heard before drifting off.
